Economic News You Won’t Hear on Oprah

   It’s a cold, rainy day today.  I just left a grocery store and saw an elderly man with a limp checking out about the same time I was.  Think of the classic, Norman Rockwell grandfather… now picture that gentleman leaving the store, donning a crash helmet, and straddling a kickin’ yellow scooter like one of these to make his getaway:

  Cold.  Rainy.  Grandpa.  This fella’s choice of transportation was either due to a late-life crisis, or my guess is “the economy” had something to do with it.

  The “bad economy”, or the perception of such, has caused a lot of people and businesses to do wacky stuff.  Now I don’t deny that some businesses have been hurt, nor that people have lost their jobs due to the shift in where dollars are being spent.  But how did it all spiral out of control so quickly and so deeply?

  It’s true risky business decisions were behind the banking industry’s virtual collapse.  But I contend that part of the reason this downturn has cut so deeply falls on the shoulders of the news media.  National and local news outlets, whether television, radio, internet or newspaper, pervading every community around America. 

  Some of you are probably nodding your head in agreement.  And I can hear some of you right now… “Has this guy lost his mind??”  Here’s what I mean…

  Bad news sells.  Fear sells.  And no matter which network or news outlet, when there are only so many “news” pieces that are prepared for airing, the same bad news is repeated again and again, all day, day after day, ad nauseum. 

  One doesn’t need a BS in Economics to understand that the stock market and other economic influencers are themselves influenced by the public’s confidence and perception of reality.  It works in both directions, spiraling upwards or downwards.  How much of the “bad economy” is self-fulfilled prophesy, accelerated by those purveyors of fear, the aforementioned news media??

  Have you heard the story about American Indians in Montana?

  It’s late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in Montana asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.  Never having been taught the secrets of his ancestors, when he looked at the sky, he couldn’t tell what the winter was going to be like.

  Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared. 

  But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea.  He traveled to the nearest outpost that had a television and listened for the weather forecast on CNN.

  ‘It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,’  said the CNN reporter. 

  So the chief went back to his people and told them they should collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

  A week later, he traveled to the outpost again to watch for any forecast updates.  

  The man behind the CNN newsdesk reported, ‘it’s going to be a very cold winter.’  

  The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

  Two weeks later, the chief checked one more time.  He watched until hearing the reporter say:

  ‘It’s looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we’ve ever seen.’

  Concerned, the chief walked over to a payphone and called CNN.  He was able to get the reporter on the line and asked him, “are you absolutely certain this is going to be one of the coldest winters ever?

  ‘Absolutely,’ the reporter said.  ‘It’s shaping up to be one of the most severe on record!’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’ the chief asked. 

  The reporter replied, ‘The Indians are collecting firewood like crazy.’

  Remember this the next time you watch, read, or listen to the “news”!

  So what do you choose to focus on; to think about?  How much of the daily news do you watch, listen to, or read?  Do you feel you must read your morning paper or morning I-net news source so you can stay current?  Are the national or local news stations played frequently in your household?  Are you a fan of talk radio, so that you’re constantly bombarded by someone else’s viewpoint of current events?… 

  If so, may I suggest putting yourself on a “fear and negativity detox plan”, whereby you decide and then act upon going at least 30 days without any news from a paper, TV, radio, or  Internet… a mass news-outlet fast, if you will. 

  Instead, use that time to read, watch, or listen only to things that will build you up spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and feed positively into your dreams to achieve whatever it is you were placed on this earth to accomplish.   You might find that you become more productive than you’ve ever been before.  You might find you’re daily outlook change for the better. You may find it easier to focus on the things in your life that are truly important and meaningful.  You may even decide to make a lifestyle choice to continue your fast beyond the 30 days.  Give it a shot. 

I’d love to hear what difference it makes in you.